The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

esources for help. And don’t be afraid to tell the writer that you don’t know something. Remember what
you learned about HOCs and LOCs. If all else fails, reassure them. Some advanced writers don’t realize
how advanced they are, so show them what they’re doing right. Compliment them, praise them, throw
them a party. If someone else is enthusiastic about their writing, they will be too. Next time they’re at the
keyboard they’ll think of how prepared they are for the essay instead of how daunting the task might
seem. Confidence is an important tool when you’re being chased by the writing hyenas.
Your job as a tutor may not be easy. From hour to hour you’re fighting the quicksand of
uncooperative students, swinging through the jungle on a vine in an easy session, and leading weary
writers down the road toward a successful essay. If an advanced writer crosses your path, don’t turn them
away. Everyone deserves a chance to witness the beauty of the writing world: the gorgeous transition
gazelles, the perfect-thesis giraffe, the meaty-sentence elephant. And everyone needs to learn how to
avoid the wildebeest stampedes of run-on sentences, to navigate the comma rivers, to built a shelter of
sturdy thoughts, and to climb the trees of knowledge in order to eat of the fruit of good grades. As a
Writing Center tutor, it’s your job to lead each and every person on the dangerous, exciting, and
ultimately wonderful writing safari.
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